Saving the future
by x.Who.Dares.Wins.x
Summary: Just a little one-shot that I wrote for my Chemistry homework, and decided to publish. Give it a go!...


Saving the world, yet again

"Seriously, Doctor, I've had enough of this dreary Welsh weather. I just want to get back home to London." Rose complained, glaring at both of the men beside her.

"Cheer up, darling," grinned Captain Jack Harkness. "I'm sure the Doctor has something well worth our while. Anyway, how different is this to what you get in England?" He was completely at ease with the rain, his long trench coat keeping him warm.

The Doctor jumped up from his awkward perch on the stone wall which left his converses dangling above the ground to begin striding off to his left, throwing remarks back to his companions as he went.

"Come on, kiddies! Time to start acting your age, not bickering. This, just up here, is Singleton Hospital – d'ya remember it, Rose?" Not even pausing for an answer, the tall man continued to walk up the busy road towards the discrete corner where his TARDIS was 'parked', if you can call leaving a machine which travelled through time, parking.

The two people who the Doctor had left leaning against the wall, exchanged remarks that clearly said, 'here we go again' and quickly caught up with their mutual friend. The three of them were almost hopping in anticipation, though only the Doctor had any real reason to be, as the others didn't know what was happening.

"We're going to the Year 3000! It's one of my favourite times – the whole world has been completely reformed by nanotechnology. '_Not much has changed, but they live underwater. And your great-great-great-granddaughter, is pretty fine.' _" The Doctor hung his head sheepishly at the condescending look thrown his way by Rose, once he started spouting lyrics from an English pop band called Busted.

Jack started to laugh uproariously at the pair. "Now who's squabbling, oh mighty-903-year-old-Time Lord!?"

"Quiet, or I shan't take you with me," replied the Doctor petulantly, sticking his lower lip out in a fake pout. "Yeah, anyway, so -"

"Get on with it!"

"We're going about 1000 years in the future, so hold on tight!"

The last thing heard was, "Must you be so dramatic?", before the doors swung shut, and the seemingly-normal police call box began creating eerie noises, and disappearing.

---

"You brought us all the way out here, to see – nothing?" Rose asked warily, peering out from the door, slightly afraid of the answer. All around was nothing, just a vast empty expanse of nothingness. The Doctor slammed the door shut, and twisted around, falling to the floor of the TARDIS, back pressed against the side, and placed his head in his hands.

"It's not supposed to be like this," he muttered, half to himself. "It must have gone wrong somewhere, someone somewhere did something wrong."

"Doctor, we still don't understand. Come on, throw me an idea," begged Captain Harkness, apparently unconcerned about the future of the Earth, as he was staring at his friend, rather than the grey matter around them.

"This guy, Dr. Eric Drexler, founder of the Foresight Institute, in California, and Senior Research Fellow of the Molecular Engineering Research Institute, said that if humans continued to manufacture nanoparticles, and release them into the world before they knew the safety risks and implications, then out-of-control self-replicating robots could consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves—a scenario known as ecophagy."

"So, um, easy synopsis – we aren't all extraordinarily brainy?" Rose asked quietly, upset at the state her best friend was in.

"Well, speak for yourself sweetheart." The American Captain replied, smirking insufferably. "What he said is that nanobots have eaten the environment, leaving behind grey goo."

"Yeah – that makes so much more sense!" Rose shot back sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at the man.

"It would if you weren't blonde," He insulted her, sticking his tongue out mockingly. Neither meant it, they were really close, but arguing is a fun occupation if there isn't anything else to do.

"Come on!" came a distant shout, from their forgotten counterpart, who was beside the console of the time machine. "This needs to be sorted out – I was there, so what went wrong? We haven't got all day!"

Rose laughed, which received a bemused look from Jack, as they both made their way towards the TARDIS controls. "Haven't got all day? It's a time machine!"

---

"The Year 2050 – ew, please say we're not in London!" Jack remarked, a cheeky glint in his eyes, begging someone to ask why, before Rose fell for the bait.

"Why?"

"Hah – because you'll be 64! All old, and wrinkly! Sucker..."

They had arrived back at Singleton hospital, 41 years after they had left, but it all seemed so different. The Doctor grabbed a newspaper from the ground, which had luckily been left there, and looked up from it to see his friends laughing once more.

"Now what?"

"I think we might be wearing the wrong sort of clothes!" gasped Rose between gales of laughter, holding onto Jack to stay upright.

The people all around them were giving them strange glances, unaware of their strange appearance in the eyes of the time travellers. One woman was wearing a dress which looked sprayed-on, while another had a dress which was changing shape due to the remote control in her hand and her boots were altering as well, when she moved faster. Compared to Rose in her skinny jeans and hoodie, the Doctor in converses and a pinstripe suit, and Jack in a trench coat, it wasn't really surprising. There were robots walking along, humans talking to holograms, 200-storey skyscrapers all around and flying cars.

On their way to the hospital, the Doctor was spouting reams and reams of information about nanotechnology.

"Did you know, it was here, in Swansea that they made the artificial lung. It saved the NHS billions of pounds as an alternative to transplants. The nanotechnology developed more powerful antibiotics, faster and more accurate diagnosis and re-engineered drugs. The particles are able to target the cells in the body which are bad, and barely affect any others. Fridges have anti-microbial coatings, cars are super-glossy, and windows have coatings that capture light energy and kill bacteria, which means self-cleaning windows. The global warming crisis was averted by the development of solar cells, advanced fuel cells and bio fuels, hydrogen based energy and carbon nanotubes for storing hydrogen which are 100 times stronger than steel and a 1/6 of the weight that means easier and cheaper storage and transportation. Soil fertility and crop production was increased to reduce malnutrition by using natural and synthetic zeolite particles to release fertilisers, food, and drugs efficiently, slowly and thoroughly through different sized pores in the particles. Invisibility cloaks were developed which bend light for stealth or protection. The initial problem was that they couldn't get the light to bend back the other way, as if it carried on in a straight line. They use silver to accelerate wound recovery and have even built a elevator into space."

"You know that feeling, when someone's speaking, and you can't be bothered to listen?" Jack whispered stealthily to the girl, who nodded.

"This nanotechnology," continued the Doctor, ignoring the interruption. "delivered enormous benefits to society, as there were many new discoveries which improved life and created new possibilities for developing countries. But all of this didn't matter to some people, who thought that it was all speculation and not hard information as nobody knew at that time the possible dangers. The environmental impact and damage which could have been caused, was a factor, as was the ethics involved as people were afraid that terrorists would develop new torture methods. The nanoparticles could accumulate in living organisms and cause damage – and nobody would know. There was a range of possibilities for use and abuse, and as I said before, Dr. Dexler was thinking of the 'grey goo'."

Rose's eyes had glazed over, but she shook herself back into attention. "He hasn't even mentioned what nanotechnology is! I'm blonde, remember?"

"A nanoparticles is between 1 – 100 nanometres (a millionth of a millimetre) and a human hair is 80000nm wide. Substances change properties at nano-size, but nanotechnology was around before you were even born, Rose, although widely undeveloped. Pigments in ceramics, computer chips, teeth enamel – they all involve nanoparticles. But then the human race, just has to grab something natural, and abuse it, and 'develop' it to fit its own greed for technology. People have fused themselves with technology for greater capability, but they didn't need to!"

"Rant, rant, rant," mocked Jack, stopping when the Doctor glared at him.

"We need to get to the hospital. Dr. Drexler is visiting today," The Doctor planned, waving the newspaper clenched in his fist in his companions faces. "We are old friends, though I have a different face now. He'll understand, and he can monitor the nanoscience discoveries, and stop these potential dangers."

The three entered the hospital, or tried to. Everyone around them had ID cards for identification, as people were altering their bodies with the use of nano-enhancement and Jack, Rose and the Doctor didn't. He flashed his psychic paper at the guard, who let them pass reluctantly. Not stopping, the Doctor skipped towards a nurse, and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?" She replied, frowning. "What's the problem?"

"I need to speak to Eric. Is he here yet? Eric? Dr. Drexler?"

"Yes, just down the hallway." The nurse responded, and swept away importantly.

"So, these substances behave differently when they are used at nanoscale."

"Doctor, we know!" chorused Jack and Rose, not wishing to return to the lecture.

---

"So, what do you think?" Russell T. Davies asked, spinning from side-to-side slightly in his chair, fingers templed, brow slightly furrowed.

"Awesome!" replied John Barrowman, smiling. "I love it! Is that the end though?"

"Not quite, I wanted your opinions." The author said, still waiting for two more responses.

"I like most of it, but – I'm not really blonde! It's from a bottle." Fingering a curl of her hair, Billie Piper continued reading the script.

"I'm way too grumpy. Normally I'm just like, floating around happily." David Tennant teased, grinning cheekily.

"It could still do with a bit of work though. Probably way too many plot-holes and things in it at the moment. Thanks guys!" Russell finished, ending the conversation, and the computer program, with a click of a button.

Elinor Spacie 10P!


End file.
